Test That Theory
by DragonKatGal
Summary: *Complete* Set in S6. The events of Villians/Grave go horribly wrong when Willow makes the mistake of trying to take Buffy's Slaying Powers.
1. I'd Like To Test That Theory

Test That Theory

SETTINGS: Season Six: Villians/Grave.  Things go a little differently.  Dark-fic (or an attempt at a dark-fic…)

RATING: R just in case…who knows.  I suck at rating stuff.

DISCLAIMER: Not mine.

SPOILERS: S1-6.

NOTES: An attempt at a dark-fic.  Non-shippy.  Buffy-centric (coming from me are we all that surprised?  No…).  I'm messing with the timelines a bit so that Giles comes into the store before Xander, Dawn and the Duo leaves.  Cool?  Cool.

PAIRING: Hints of B/G, but no 'ship really.

WARNING: Cop-out ending!  *grins*

ONWARDS:

CHAPTER ONE: DIDN'T SAY I WOULDN'T

Buffy couldn't believe it had come to this.  She'd seen her best friend flay someone alive only an hour and a half ago.  Willow, shy, stuttery, witchy-Willow who's first words to Buffy had been a question as to why the blonde Slayer would even want to be friends with someone as ordinary and geeky as Willow.  This was the same girl who was standing in front of Buffy.  Black hair, veins showing on her face, her eyes black as well and oozing with darkness.  This was the Willow who's mom had picked out her clothing only six years earlier.  Who had been too afraid to make the first move with Oz, afraid that she'd be classified as a slut if she kissed him first.  This was the girl that had been too afraid to speak to anyone for fear of rejection.

And this was the girl that Buffy was now fighting.

"I don't want to hurt you."

That was the truth.  Buffy really didn't want to fight Willow.  She also really hadn't wanted to kill Angel, but in the end, she had done it.  And Buffy knew that in the end, she would fight Willow if she was forced into it.  The sudden right-hook from Willow that sent Buffy flying backwards into the magazine rack three feet behind her solidified the fact that she was about to be forced into a fight with the first true friend Buffy had ever had.

"Not a problem," Willow replied calmly, taking in the slumped figure of the Slayer.

Buffy got to her feet quickly and strode towards the black-haired girl.

"Said I didn't _want_ to," Buffy said coolly.  She breathed in sharply and backhanded her best friend, sending her crashing into a shelf, glass and magical trinkets flying and shattering everywhere.  "Didn't say I wouldn't."

Xander, Dawn, Andrew and Jonathan edged away from the battle that was about to take place.  Xander was astounded by what was happening.  He couldn't believe that Tara was dead, that his best friend was now juiced up on black magic and trying to kill his other best friend.  It seemed so surreal, and coming from someone who knew what went on around Sunnydale, that was saying a lot.  

"Oh god," Dawn whispered, shuffling backwards to hide behind Xander as she saw Buffy and Willow stand acing each other in the centre of the Magic Box.

Anya stood hidden by a pillar beside the counter, chanting in Babylonian to ensure that Willow's magic couldn't harm anyone within the store.  It was an effective barrier that Willow couldn't break through, and it was helping Buffy to keep Willow at bay.  The vengeance demon could only hope that the Slayer would be able to keep Willow at bay for long enough.  Willow's magics were dark, Anya knew that much, but she also knew that the magics that Willow was channelling weren't going to hold for much longer.  Anya would bet money on Willow not being able to last much more than another few minutes, judging by the amount of magic she'd used only moments ago.

Andrew and Jonathan stood behind Xander, edging towards the door behind them, each of them holding swords that had been on display in the Magic Box.  They knew they wouldn't be able to fight with any amount of finesse, but they felt slightly safer with them in their hands.

"Are we really gonna do this?" Buffy asked quietly, emotion showing clearly in her voice.  Xander couldn't take his eyes off the two girls and prayed that Buffy would be able to talk some sense into Willow.  He just hoped that there was still an ounce of humanity left in his now black-eyed black-haired friend.

"Come on, this is a big deal for me," Willow said gleefully.  "Six years as a side man, and now I get to be the Slayer."

"A killer isn't a Slayer.  Being a Slayer means something you couldn't even conceive," Buffy replied.

"Oh Buffy…you really need to have every square inch of your ass kicked."

"Then show me what you got," Buffy challenged.  "And I'll show you what a Slayer really is."

The fight began, the two girls using every ounce of their strength to try and bring the other to their knees.  Xander and Dawn watched in disbelief as the two girls battled against each other instead of side-by-side.  Dawn had tears in her eyes and was flinching with every punch that was thrown.  Xander didn't want to watch, but he couldn't take his eyes away from the fight.

It was at that moment that the fight broke out that Andrew and Jonathan used the distraction to their advantage.  They raced through the door and into the downstairs storage room, thankful that Warren had made them familiarise themselves with the layout of the store.  There was an exit to the Sunnydale tunnels that Spike frequented and they ran as fast as they could to get away from the Magic Box.

Back in the store, no holds were being barred.  It was strength against strength and Xander and Dawn could only watch in terror as the Slayer began losing ground.  Buffy was flung through the glass of the counter, and Dawn went to rush to her aid.  Xander held her arm knowing that if Dawn was caught in the violence of the fray, she wouldn't survive.  As much as it pained him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to help in this fight.

Buffy was quick to get back on her feet, more kicks and punches being exchanged between the two girls.  Buffy had to admit that fighting Glory had been easier than this, though Buffy wasn't sure if it was because f the emotional attachments that Buffy had for Willow that was making it more difficult.  On the strength side of the fight, Buffy was fairly certain that Glory had been stronger.  

Buffy caught Willow's arm before it could fling the Slayer across the room.

"I can help you stop," Buffy said, trying desperately to get her friend to listen to reason.

Willow broke the hold easily and punched the Slayer with ease, sending Buffy tumbling backwards.  Buffy regrouped and caught her breath and stared at her best friend, her mind still not able to process what was happening.  

"I thought you were going to show me what a Slayer was," Willow taunted.

Buffy glared and was back in the fight, hitting, kicking, punching and dodging.  Buffy grabbed willow by the back of her shirt and flung her across the room, wincing when Willow crashed heavily on the table on the upper landing, just next to where Anya was still chanting.  Willow looked up at the vengeance demon with interest.

"Well, hey isn't this interesting.  Anya's still here," Willow said calmly, standing up and heading towards a scared but defiant Anya.

Buffy was quick to jump between them, kicking Willow back down to the main level of the Magic Box.  Anya took the opportunity to duck behind the counter to where Xander and Dawn were still huddled together.  She moved towards the door that Andrew and Jonathan had disappeared out of, ready to leave at any second if she felt she had to.  Xander stood in front of the girl he still loved protectively as Anya continued to chant.

Buffy moved back down the stairs and positioned herself between the Scoobies and Willow, attacking as their guardian.  Willow stood, glancing back and forth between Anya and Buffy.  

"Buff, I gotta tell ya.  I get it now," Willow began conversationally, slowly walking towards the Slayer who tensed, ready for the next onslaught of violence.  "The Slayer thing really isn't about the violence."  She clenched her hand into a fist and struck Buffy quickly, the force of the blow sending her flying into the railing of the balcony above them and crashing down again.

Dawn and Xander cried out simultaneously.  "Buffy!"  They went to rush to her aid, but Anya grabbed hold of them both, forgetting to continue the chanting.  Xander and Dawn looked at the vengeance demon to see why she had stopped them.  They saw that Anya was conflicted, worried that they would be hurt if they stepped into battle.  It wasn't that Anya wanted Bufy dead, it was that Anya didn't want Dawn or Xander to be hurt in a battle they had no hope of winning.

"It's about the power."

Buffy coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.  She'd felt several of her ribs crack when she'd landed, and the fact that she was having trouble breathing only added credence to the worried thought that she may well have just punctured a lung as well.  She tried to struggle to her feet, but her arms wouldn't hold her up.  She stayed still for a moment, closing her eyes to focus her energies and push past the physical pain.  This wasn't the first serious injury she'd had whilst fighting, and she didn't want it to be the last.

Willow stepped forward and delivered a stunning kick to the Slayer's face, Buffy groaning and fell onto her back in pain.  Willow smiled evilly and put a booted foot to Buffy's chest to keep her in place, the force of it crushing against Buffy's broken ribs, making the entire thing incredibly painful for the girl.

"And there's no one in the world with the power to stop me now."

Willow went to lift her foot in order to bring it down and completely crush the Slayer's lungs when she was struck by a flash or green light that threw her against the wall.  She turned and looked to where the light had come from and her eyes widened in shock.

Rupert Giles stood on the raised platform of the Magic Box, his green eyes cold and accusing as they took in the scene before him.

"I'd like to test that theory."


	2. What Watchers Are Good At

CHAPTER TWO: WHAT WATCHERS ARE GOOD AT

Rupert Giles stepped forward slowly, his eyes never leaving Willow, even though he desperately wanted to rush over and check on the prone form of his Slayer.  Seeing her lying on the ground, bruised, bloodied and semi-conscious was something that no Watcher particularly wanted to see.  He was grateful for the small movements that Buffy was making that proved that she wasn't dead.  _Yet_, a voice in the back of his mind added.

Xander and Dawn looked at the Watcher, thankful that a miracle seemed to have just been provided.  They could only hope that the Watcher would be able to do something to stop the insanity that was happening.

"Uh oh," Willow said, her voice cold and mocking.  "Daddy's home.  I'm in wicked trouble now."

"You have no idea," Giles replied, his voice soft, cool, threatening.  "You have to stop what you're doing."

"Sorry," Willow said, fake smile on her lips.  "Can't do that.  I'm not finished yet."

"Neither am I."  

Willow struggled to get to her feet, and Giles waved a hand in her direction.

"Stay down."

Willow collapsed to the ground, and Xander, Dawn and Anya watched in amazement.  Xander knew it was inappropriate, but he idly wondered whether Giles was a Jedi Knight.  Willow glared.

"That's borrowed power," she accused.  "No way is it gonna be strong enough-"

"I'm here to help you," Giles said, interrupting her.  He hated the cold tone in Willow's voice.  He hated that part of this was his fault.  He knew he shouldn't have left and he was regretting his decision more and more every second.  He hadn't know things would go this badly.  He could only hope to fix some of it by being here now.  

"Thanks but…I can kill a coupla geeks all by myself," Willow informed him, rolling her eyes at this sudden need for Giles to be pushing into something he'd had no interest in up until now.  "But hey, if you'd like to watch.  I mean that's what you Watcher are good at, right?  Watching?  Butting in on things that don't concern you."

"You concern me Willow.  Stay on this path and you'll wind up dead," he cautioned.

Willow just laughed and shook her head.  She moved to stand up and Giles waved his hand again.

"Stay down," he ordered.

Willow moved her own hand as though tossing away the wave of energy that was thrown at her.  "No."  She moved to stand directly over Buffy and Giles shifted nervously.  He wanted to get Willow away from his Slayer, but he was concerned about the lengths Willow would go to if he tried to do that.  And considering that Xander, Anya and Dawn were still in the room, he was even more concerned about what Willow would resort to if she felt threatened.

"Why'd ya come back Giles?" Willow asked, tilting her head questioningly, her black eyes gleaming with evil mischief.  "I thought you were headed back to England.  Permanently remember?  So you wouldn't have to deal with little miss 'Woe is me, you pulled me out of Heaven'."

Xander and Dawn flinched at the harshness of Willow's statement.  The problem was, they hadn't been coping too well with Buffy's constant depression, and having it flung at them in such blunt terms made them feel incredibly guilty for not being more supportive of Buffy.  

"You don't know what you're talking about Willow," Giles said coldly.

"Don't I?" Willow asked.  "Come on, Giles.  Tell me honestly, you left so you wouldn't have to see her being so thoroughly depressed.  You left a bunch of twenty year olds and a self-obsessed teenager to deal with her when she needed an adult to help her through it.  You know what your precious Slayer did, Giles?  She started fucking Spike just so she could feel something.  She called out for you in so many of her nightmares but you were never there.  She wanted you here to help her, to watch her, but no…you couldn't deal with it.  You couldn't handle seeing her die again."

Giles swallowed and found himself unable to look Willow in the eyes.  As harsh as the statements were, there was truth to it.  Whilst on one level he didn't enjoy being used as a permanent safety net, he had left because he knew that if he had to watch his Slayer die again, he wouldn't live through it.  And to hear about Buffy's liaisons with Spike…they hadn't come as too much of a shock, he'd been suspecting it for a while, but the bluntness of Willow's statement made it seem that much harsher.

"I guess I should apologise in advance then, huh," Willow said calmly, keeping her eyes on the Watcher.  "I mean, you left so that you wouldn't hafta watch her die, but…well, you can't win em all I guess."

She dropped to her knees and had her hand on Buffy's chest before Giles, Xander or Dawn could even move to push her away from the fallen Slayer.  Giles face was the picture of pure horror, and Xander and Dawn couldn't believe that it had come to this deliberate attempt of murder.  Fighting was one thing, but this…

Xander went to tackle Willow away from Buffy, but a white light enveloped the two girls and Willow was thrown backwards, hitting her head against the staircase to the balcony of the Magic Box.  She slumped to the ground, but Xander and Dawn paid her no attention.  The Carpenter, the Key and the Watcher were all on their knees besides the Slayer who was suddenly very much conscious.  Her eyes opened and she looked groggily at her sister, her best friend and…her Watcher.  Her eyes widened as she took in the much-missed man.

"Giles," she whispered.

He smiled and took hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly.  Dawn had tears running down her face, her mind racing frantically, trying to catch up with what had just happened.  

"Are you okay?" Dawn whispered.

Buffy forced herself to look at her younger sister, an attempt of a smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry Dawnie," Buffy said softly.  "For everything."

Her eyes fluttered shut and her head lolled to the side, the slight pressure that Buffy had been applying to Giles' hand stopped and Giles once more knew true despair.


	3. Making A Slayer

CHAPTER THREE: MAKING A SLAYER

Giles frantically removed his hand from Buffy's and brought it to her neck, searching desperately for a pulse.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one, tears pricking his eyes.  He wiped them away and picked up his Slayer, moving her quickly into the training room towards the couch, laying her flat-out.

He motioned for Dawn to sit with her sister.  "Stay with her," Giles told the young girl.  "Make sure she keeps breathing, and if there's the slightest change, call me."

Dawn nodded and repositioned the Slayer so that Buffy's head was on Dawn's lap.  Giles moved back out onto the selling floor of the Magic Box to the slumped form of Willow.  To his surprise, her hair was no longer dark.  He pulled back her eye-lids and found Willow's eyes to be green rather black.  Anya moved to stand beside him.

"You do know what she just tried to do, right?" Anya asked.

Giles looked at the girl, wondering what she meant.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Willow.  She wasn't trying to _kill_ Buffy," Anya explained.  "She was trying to take Buffy's power."

Giles paled and Xander noticed it immediately.

"What?  What does that mean?  Did Willow take her power?  She's still the Slayer right?"

Xander's rapid-fire questions were distracting Giles from collecting his thoughts which weren't at all positive in any way.  Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose and wondered if things could possibly get any worse than they'd just become.  The Watcher felt himself bordering on all-out panic.  He'd heard of sorcerer's attempting to take previous Slayer's powers from them.  It had never worked.

"Giles?"

Giles looked up at the young man and Xander held back a gasp at the look of pure grief that was in Giles' eyes.

"What happened?  She'll be okay, right?  Buffy, I mean," he clarified.

Giles swallowed hard.  He couldn't bring himself to answer the question just yet.

"Would you bring Willow into the training room?" Giles asked quietly.

Xander hesitated, wanting his questions answered.  He finally nodded and moved to pick up his best friend, hoping desperately that she didn't wake up and decide to begin kicking his ass.  Willow didn't even awaken slightly as he picked her up and carried her to the back room.  He laid her out on one of the training mats and stroked a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear.  

He stood and walked over to Dawn who had tears running down her cheeks, the droplets occasionally spilling onto Buffy's face as Dawn leant over her.

"Any change?" Xander asked quietly.

Dawn shook her head and continued to stare at her sister, silently willing the girl to wake up.

Giles and Anya walked into the training room, Giles with a book in his hand and Anya still holding the book with the protection spell written in it.  She was clutching the text as though it were her only hope, and Anya was fervently hoping that it _wouldn't_ be their only hope.

Dawn looked up at the Watcher, falling easily back into the routine of looking to him for answers.  She'd missed him tremendously and now that he was back, she hoped that he wasn't thinking of leaving ever again.

"What's going on Giles?" Dawn asked quietly.

Giles looked at the teenager and was reminded so much of his Slayer at a younger age.  Dawn was sixteen now, the age that Buffy herself had been when Giles had met her.  He couldn't believe that so much had changed.

"Well, uh…it's…it doesn't…"

"The truth Giles," Dawn demanded.  "How bad is it?  What did Willow do to her?"

Giles stepped forward and manoeuvred his Slayer's body so that her head was no longer resting against Dawn's lap.  He touched Dawn's shoulder briefly and she stood up, recognising the silent plea from the Watcher immediately.  Giles shrugged out of the large overcoat that he wore and folded it, tucking it behind Buffy's head to act as a pillow.

"Willow was uh…using too much magic for her to keep up with.  She was…well, for lack of a better description, running out of batteries," Giles explained.

"Draining," Xander interjected.

Giles looked at the young man, clearly surprised.

"That's what Jonathan called it when she ran out of magics before," Xander explained.

Giles nodded.  He wasn't comforted by the fact that Willow had been drained earlier.  It meant that Willow had already found more magics from somewhere, and considering the amount of darkness he'd sensed from her earlier, he didn't know if he really wanted to know where she'd stumbled across that much dark power.

"Well, with Willow becoming, uh…drained, she needed to absorb someone else's power.  And, with Buffy being the strongest of all of us, Willow chose to try and take Buffy's…well, her magic," Giles said.

"Her magic?" Dawn asked.  "Buffy's got magic?"

"Well, the Slayer portion of Buffy does," Giles replied.  "A Slayer is a magical creature with powers bestowed to her by Higher Beings.  She is one of the strongest people on the earth, and the magic surrounding her origin would be…tempting to someone who was running low on magic."

A horrifying thought crossed Xander's mind and he looked between the two unconscious forms of his best friends.

"So, does that make Willow a Slayer now?" Xander asked.

Giles shook his head.  "You can't just _make_ a Slayer.  A Slayer…she must be Called, Chosen.  It's not something that humans can create.  And a Slayer's magic can never be taken from her."

"But…what about that test?" Dawn asked.  "That test you Watcher guys did on her when she turned eighteen.  She didn't have her strength then."

Giles winced at the mention of the twice-accursed test and again wished that he had never agreed to be part of it.  But he understood Dawn's question.

"She had her strength, she was just…well, drugged, to put it bluntly.  Her strength was there, but it was sedated.  She was still the Slayer," Giles said.

Anya stepped forward, her eyes blazing angrily.  She couldn't believe that Giles was still talking instead of being more proactive.  She knew that the Watcher knew the stories of what had happened to the other Slayer's who had had people try and steal their magic.  She couldn't understand why Giles wasn't taking this more seriously.

"We have to do something Giles," Anya said.  "Before she wakes up!  She could kill us all!"

"Who Willow?" Xander asked.  "She's all red-heady again."

"Not Willow," Anya said.  "Buffy."

Dawn paled at Anya's statement.  "She'd never hurt us!"

Anya just raised an eyebrow at the girl and wondered whether or not Dawn was a victim of the selective memory disease that so many Sunnydale residents seem to have.

"You do recall her tying you up and locking you in the basement with that demon, right?" Anya asked.

Giles looked at the vengeance demon with startled eyes.  "What?!"

"Buffy tried to kill everyone.  It was, what…a month ago now."

Giles turned to look at Xander and Dawn who weren't denying it.  Giles couldn't believe that he hadn't known about this.  He couldn't help but wonder what had happened, but he knew that Anya was right.  He should be thinking about what to do with his Slayer now.  The thought of a dark Slayer was nothing new, they'd all lived through Faith turning rogue, but Giles knew that the Gang wouldn't live through it if Buffy turned to the darker side of her powers.

"Why would Buffy hurt us now though?" Xander asked.  "Last month, she was crazed, hallucinating.  It wasn't her fault."

Giles was slightly comforted by the fact that Buffy hadn't been entirely sane when she'd tried to kill her friends.  It didn't really make it easier to think about, but it was slightly more comforting.

"Willow no longer has her magic," Giles began, thinking it best to start with an easier subject rather than jumping straight to the point.

"What?  None?  Why not?" Dawn asked.

Giles sighed and hoped that there wouldn't be too many more interruptions from the young entourage. 

"Because she tried to take something that cannot be taken.  The price for an attempt is to give up her own magic.  A Slayer's power is so well bound to that girl that death is the only thing that will release it.  And even then, it isn't known who will be the next Slayer," Giles explained.  "As a…safeguard, if you will, as a protective measure to ensuring the Slayer's powers remain with the Slayer, if a witch or wizard or sorcerer attempt to extract a Slayer's power, the spell will backfire.  It will do the exact opposite of what was intended and…transfer the person's power into the Slayer."

Xander and Dawn paled considerably.  They both swung their eyes to look at buffy who looked to be resting peacefully on the couch, one arm hanging over the side of the couch while the other rested on her stomach.  The thought that Buffy now had inside her the magics that had, only moments ago, been making Willow go insane was truly frightening.

Willow gone dark was bad enough, but a Slayer with that kind of power was not something that any of them wanted to see.

"We have to do something!" Dawn cried.

Giles nodded, knowing that Dawn's statement was true.  But once again he found himself not knowing the solution to a problem.  Or the only solution was one that he didn't even want to consider.  The only solution to the problem would be to kill Buffy before she had a chance to try out her new dark powers, for once she awoke, she would never be beaten.


	4. I Made A Promise

CHAPTER FOUR: I MADE A PROMISE

There was silence in the room, each of them lost in thought, Giles struggling to come up with a workable solution to the biggest problem he'd ever had to face.  Anya was worrying about whether or not she should just flee to a different part of the world before the Slayer woke up.  Dawn and Xander were wondering how bad Buffy would truly be when she awoke, and how they would deal with it when it happened.

Anya was the first to say anything.

"Giles, you know what has to be done," she said.

To the remaining Scoobies, Anya's statement sounded cold and harsh.  But the truth was, Anya was pragmatic.  She understood the truth.  She didn't like it, but she understood it.

Giles looked at her, his eyes and face weary.  Anya knew that Giles understood her meaning.  Anya also understood the look on his face.  She's seen it hundreds of times over the course of twelve hundred years.  It was the look of someone who was about to lose the most important thing in their whole lives.  The sad thing was, it wasn't the first time that she'd seen Giles look like that in the last year and a half.  She'd seen that look just after Buffy's death.  She'd seen that look for the five months after they'd buried the Slayer.  She'd seen that look when Giles had left for England after Buffy had been resurrected, and she was seeing it again now.  

Anya knew without a doubt that she would have made an exception to her 'no males' rule of cursing if Rupert Giles ever called on her for a wish.

"I know," Giles whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, her voice becoming slightly shrill, panic rising within her.

Giles looked at her sadly.  "The magics that Willow transferred into Buffy are dark, Dawn.  The darkest I've ever seen.  I don't know where she got most of them, but they're strong."

"She got it from Rack," Anya offered.

Giles' eyes flashed angrily.  He'd heard of Rack, but he'd never thought that Willow would be so far gone as to seek him out.  He didn't even know how Willow had known of Rack.  

"Then we truly are in trouble," Giles said quietly.  "Rack's magic is…black in it's purest form.  When Buffy awakens, she'll have no control over the darkness that she's just taken on.  She won't be able to control the magic or her own strengths.  And, seeing as a Slayer has many darker elements in her nature, I'm not convinced that Buffy will be strong enough to fight against the darkness.  Plus, if what Willow said about Buffy's fragile state of mind earlier was true, then I'm fairly confident to say that Buffy will not be in any state to control it."

Xander's eyes darkened and he looked at the Watcher in disbelief.  He couldn't believe what Giles of all peoples was about to suggest.

"You want to kill her," Xander accused.  "Before she wakes up."

Giles closed his eyes.  Xander wasn't wrong, but he didn't want to see the anger in the young man's eyes.  He didn't want to see the hurt and betrayal coming from one of the original Scoobies, and he didn't want to have to think about the fact that as Buffy's Watcher, the task would fall to him to do what needed to be done.

Dawn was less than impressed with the suggestion as well.

"You can't!  I won't let you!  You don't know if she'll go bad!  Not for sure!" 

"Dawn, if she wakes up with that kind of power, running on the darkness that was fuelling Willow, then there will be no stopping her.  There will be no humanity in her at all.  She wouldn't be Buffy anymore.  The magics would take her over completely," Giles said, trying to be gentle with the girl.

"So find a way to stop it!" Dawn yelled.

_We are not talking about this!_

_Yes we bloody well are!_

_Say it.  We're bloody well talking about it.  Tell me to kill my sister_.

"There is no way to stop it.  The magic is part of her now.  Attempting to take her magic would be like attempting to take her strength.  It would backfire, and she'd only grow stronger," Giles said.

Dawn couldn't believe that they were even discussing the possibility of killing her sister.  It shouldn't even have been a consideration, let alone a viable option.

"You would really do it?" Dawn asked quietly, disgust and disbelief clearly evident in her voice.  "You would really kill your own Slayer?"

Giles sighed and rubbed his eyes, the headache that had settled in when he'd seen Buffy slump to the ground unconscious was back with a vengeance and had brought friends along with it.

"I made a promise Dawn.  I gave Buffy my word that I would do everything in my power to stop her if anything like this were to happen.  She made me give her my word that were she to turn to the darker side of slaying, I would do everything to stop her before she hurt anyone," Giles said.

I don't ever wanna be like Faith, Giles.  But I know how easily I coulda been like her.  So…you have to promise that if I ever go down that path…you have to stop it from happening.

_…I promise…_

Xander felt his entire world spinning.  He couldn't believe that this was happening.  He couldn't believe that he hadn't known that Buffy worried about what would happen if she ever turned evil.  He couldn't believe that he almost understood what Giles and Anya were suggesting.  He could see the reason and logic behind it, but the fact that they were calmly talking about murdering his best friend for something she had yet to do was bewildering.

"What if she can control it?" Xander asked.  "We're kinda jumping to conclusions here, assuming that she won't be able to control it."

"She won't be able to," Giles replied confidently.  "With no magical training whatsoever, and with the forces of darkness working against her, she won't be in control."

"And what if she is?" Xander countered.  "What if there's even a chance that she can control this?  And you'd just kill her without a second thought!"

Giles head snapped to the side as though he'd just been slapped and Xander knew he'd just overstepped a mark.  He knew that he shouldn't have said that to Giles, but he was upset and had very little control over himself at this point in time.

"Don't you dare think for a second that I don't have doubts about this," Giles said softly.  "I love that girl and for you to suggest otherwise is the harshest insult I've ever had thrown at me."

Xander breathed in deeply in an attempt to reign control of himself.

"I'm sorry," the boy said softly, his eyes meeting Giles' for a moment.  "I didn't mean it to sound the way it did.  I'm just…"

"I know," Giles said, agreeing to the silent expletive that Xander had left hanging.

Xander ran a hand through his hair, trying desperately to think of another way for this to be fixed.  Dawn took a sudden step back and looked at the two men.

"Well, if you're gonna find a way to fix this, I'd suggest doing it now," Dawn said.  She pointed a finger at Buffy.  "Cos she's kinda waking up."


	5. Handling Power

CHAPTER FIVE: HANDLING POWER

All Dawn wanted to do was rush over to her sister and demand answers to all the questions that were running frantically through her mind.  But Dawn wasn't an idiot.  She'd grown up with a Slayer in the house, and she knew the rules.  Don't approach someone who may very well be evil, no matter what face they are wearing.

Xander shifted his weight uneasily and watched as Buffy lifted a hand slowly, her entire arm shaking with the effort of simply moving.  He wanted to help her, do whatever he could to alleviate the pain he knew she must be in, but he too had grown up around a Slayer.

Giles and Anya were preparing themselves for the worst.  

Buffy shifted on the couch, pushing herself up to prop herself on her elbows.  She shakily swung her legs over the couch to rest on the floor and sat herself up on the couch, her hand moving to rest on her ribcage.  Giles was the first to approach.

"Buffy?" his voice was quiet, non-threatening.  He was hoping that he would be able to use his voice as a calming influence on the girl.

Buffy looked up, her eyes filled with tears of pain.  Giles fought to keep his eyes locked with hers, not wanting to miss a single change in her mood.  After six years of watching her, he knew how to read her.  She was confused and hurting, that much he knew.

Buffy stood shakily, her eyes locked on Giles', her hand still resting on her rib-cage.  She closed her eyes for a moment then smiled, her hand dropping to rest beside her, standing up to her full height, completely healed.  She opened her eyes and grinned at the group.  For the first time in Giles' tenure as Buffy's Watcher, he couldn't for the life of him read what her eyes were saying.  He didn't understand his Slayer anymore.

Dawn couldn't control herself any longer.  "You okay, Buff?"

Buffy turned her gaze to Dawn and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.  "You know, I think I am," Buffy said cheerily.  "For the first time in…well, forever really.  I feel…free."

Giles' heart sank.  This wasn't the Buffy he knew.  Dawn looked at the Watcher and read the distress that was written across his face.  She began panicking and started taking small steps backwards.

"What's wrong Dawnie?" Buffy asked, her voice so sincere that Dawn wanted nothing more than to run to her sister.  

Giles stepped in front of Dawn, placing himself between the two girls.  The movement caught Buffy's full attention and Buffy gave Giles a full-fledged smile.  Giles' heart caught in his throat.  He hadn't seen her smile like that since before her mother had died.  The sight of it, directed at him made his heart ache.

"You came back," Buffy said happily, moving towards the group, her movements subtle and graceful, moving like the predator that Giles had trained her to be.

"I did," Giles agreed.

Buffy looked beyond Giles and saw her red-headed best friend lying flat out on the couch.  Buffy stopped about two feet in front of Giles and chuckled a little at the unconscious form of Willow just beyond the Watcher.

"Looks like Wills couldn't handle the power.  I get it though.  Not many people can handle it.  It's pretty…well, powerful," Buffy said, her voice lilting, uncharacteristically seductive.  It made shivers run up and down Xander's spine.

"Can you control it Buffy?" Giles asked, his voice deliberately gentle, not accusing, merely asking.  The gentleness didn't help though.

Buffy's head snapped up to meet Giles' gaze, her eyes blazing fiercely.  "You think I can't handle this?"  she demanded.  She continued before Giles even had a chance to defend himself.  "I've been handling power since I was fifteen years old Giles, don't you dare tell me what I can and can't handle."

Giles swallowed hard and knew he had to back up a few paces if he wanted her to remain in control.  Any wrong word could push her over the edge, and a Slayer with that kind of power was not someone that you wanted on your bad side.

"I know Buffy," he replied.  "I just want to help you if I can."

Buffy stared at him, her face softening, the look in her eyes so heart-wrenchingly familiar to the Englishman.  It was the look that Buffy had given him every time she'd turned to him for advice, for help, for guidance.  And in a split-second it was gone.

"Help?  _Now_ you want to help me?  What happened to me having to stand on my own, huh Giles?  Me having to be a grown up and work things out for myself.  You _left_ so you wouldn't have to help me anymore, remember?  Or maybe you forgot that part."

"I didn't forget," Giles said quietly.

Buffy smirked at him, shaking her head in disbelief.  "You're some piece of work, you know that Giles.  You've got a lot of nerve coming back here.  You didn't want anything to do with us when you left, and now all of a sudden you're here trying to tell Willow what to do, and now that she's out of the running for queen of the world, you decide to try and psychoanalyse me.  Well, guess again Rupert, it ain't gonna happen."  

Giles winced at the sound of his given name used so harshly.  He'd never been fond of his first name, and his Slayer had never called him by it.  The first time using it, and she'd said it with venom and distrust in her voice.  He had hoped never to hear anything like that coming from Buffy.  But he knew that this wasn't the real Buffy.  This was the darkness that was the Slayer, and the dark magics coming to the forefront.

"Buffy, you have to calm down," Giles said.  "If you lose control, there's no telling what you'd be capable of doing.  The damage you could wreak."

"Damage, huh?" Buffy repeated.  She looked at him thoughtfully, as though she were really thinking about his statement.  "You know, that sounds kinda fun."

"Buffy, this isn't you," Giles said.

Buffy grinned and put her hands on her hips, the gesture so completely Buffy that Giles had to fight to remember that his Slayer was a gentle creature who loved deeply, even though she'd been hurt.

"Isn't me?  You don't know the first thing about me," Buffy replied.  "You don't know jack-shit, Rupert, so don't even think for a minute that you can tell me who I am.  Maybe three years ago you knew me, but not anymore."

"So tell me Buffy," Giles prompted.  He was trying to get her to continue talking, gauge the situation.  Xander, Dawn and Anya all instinctively knew that if they said anything to interrupt this, they could ruin everything, so they wisely backed away from the Slayer and Watcher and watched as everything went down.  "Tell me who you really are."

"Hmm, who I am?  What do you wanna know?" she asked rhetorically.  She began pacing the small space in front of her, three steps turn, three steps turn.  "You wanna know that I've been so depressed this last year that I've been fucking Spike most nights.  That I let him beat me, hurt me just so I could feel _something_.  That I've been cutting myself to see if the physical pain will ever outweigh the emotional.  You wanna know how I go patrolling every night, praying for some beastie to beat me to death just so I won't have to wake up to the same shit every single day of me life.  Cos, I could tell you everything about that."

Dawn and Xander looked physically sick at her admission.  They hadn't known any of that, except the part about her sleeping with Spike.  But they hadn't ever assumed that the bleached vampire had been violent with her.  None of them had known that she had been suicidal.  That she had been cutting herself.

"You wanna hear that I'm not human anymore?" Buffy continued.  "Spike's chip doesn't work on me anymore.  Seems that Willow stuffed up yet another spell.  Y'know, I'm starting to wonder if she actually had ever done a spell successfully, cos I really can't recall any of em.  She completely screwed up that soul spell with Angel, forced me to kill him when he was all soulful.  She definitely stuffed that 'I-will-it-so' spell, I mean, c'mon, the girl made you blind, made Xan a demon-magnet.  I was engaged to Spike, and can I just say that his sexual prowess has definitely improved since that spell."

The Scoobies looked at her in shock and Buffy grinned at them, stoping mid-pace.

"You guys didn't know that part, huh?" Buffy asked.  "Yeah, right in Giles' apartment.  We were _real_ quiet so Giles wouldn't hear.  He couldn't see anything though.  Kinda like that time that Xander walked in on me and Spike when I was invisible.  Now _that_ was funny."

"And what about the good times, Buffy?" Giles asked.

Buffy laughed mockingly and looked at him.  "What good times Giles?  The times where you and I betrayed each other again and again?  The times where I was grounded because I'd been saving the world and I couldn't tell mom in case she put me into an institution, _again_?  Or how bout when my mother died and I couldn't do a thing to save her?  Or when Spike tried to rape me in my own home? Where are the good times Giles?  Tell me!" 

And for the life of him, Rupert Giles didn't know how to answer.


	6. Good Times

CHAPTER SIX: GOOD TIMES

Buffy laughed and shook her head mockingly.  "Funny huh?  We've known each other for seven years and you can't think of a single time when we were ever truly happy.  Truly free.  Now that I've finally found it, you wanna take it away.  Story of my life I guess."

"You don't mean that," Giles said quietly.

Buffy's face took on a thoughtful look, though Giles could see the sarcasm behind it.  "You know, I kinda think I do mean it.  I asked you a question, and you can't answer it.  Name one good thing I've _ever_ got out of being the Slayer."

Giles hesitated for a moment and threw out the first answer he could think of.  The second he'd said it, he really wished he hadn't.  He wondered whether or not Buffy was going to completely massacre it, thereby crushing the one good thing that Buffy had received with the slaying.

"Dawn."

Xander stepped forward and put a hand on Dawn's shoulder, mentally preparing himself for the barrage of insults that was about to come from the Slayer.  Dawn seemed to tense and leant back against Xander taking strength from him.  She knew that the past year hadn't been fantastic and she knew that her actions were about to come back and bite her in the worst of ways.

Buffy looked from Giles to her sister, her eyes still unreadable.  Giles breathed deeply and hoped that he had made the right choice.  Buffy blinked hard and Giles saw part of her walls crumble.  He had made the right decision.  He heard Buffy whisper Dawn's name and look towards the younger girl, confusion in her eyes.

"Your friends," Giles continued.  "Xander, Willow, Anya…Tara.  Myself."

He made certain not to mention Angel or Riley.  It would only flare up her anger.  He didn't dare mention Spike either.  The fact that Spike had tried to rape the Slayer was not something that Giles wanted thrown at him ever again.  He made a resolution to stake Spike should he come across the platinum haired vampire again.

"There are people in this world who love you Buffy," Giles said quietly.  He began moving towards her, taking tiny steps.  He could see tears in his Slayer's eyes and he knew that if he said anything to make her snap, it could very well be the end of all of them.  "Friends, family.  People who you've saved at night who may not have thanked you, but they've remembered you.  You were Chosen to protect this world.  You're a Champion.  Not just because you're the Slayer, but because you're Buffy."

He could see her resolve cracking.  He could see tears running down her cheeks, see her crumpling.  Dawn, Xander and Anya watched in amazement as the Slayer seemed to completely break-down, her knees going weak.  She would have fallen to the floor had Giles not moved quickly enough to catch her in his arms.  He rocked her gently, whispering nonsense words of love and friendship, just letting his Slayer cry.

Giles looked up at the group and Xander pushed Dawn towards the huddled Watched and Slayer.  The former Key walked towards them tentatively, not wanting to startle her sister, who Dawn knew was incredibly fragile.  Dawn knelt down beside Buffy and engulfed her in a hug.  Buffy clung to her sister, ears soaking Dawn's shirt as Dawn ran her hands through Buffy's hair as Buffy used to do to Dawn.

Xander and Anya approached cautiously as Giles pulled himself away from the girls.  

"Is she…" Xander couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"The power, the darkness is still in there.  It seems that there is a lot of strength left in her after all," Giles said, his eyes wet with tears, pride in his voice.  

"But what happens now?" Anya asked, ever the pragmatist.

Giles rubbed his eyes tiredly.  "I don't know.  She's no longer a danger at the moment, but…even if she learns to control the magic, the darkness in her will be…seductive.  And if what Willow and Buffy indicated about Buffy's foray into the darkness with Spike, then I'm afraid she may never be our Buffy again."

"Well…can't you zap her with good magic?" Xander asked.  "Balance out the bad stuff?"

"And give her even more power that she may not be able to control, even with the lighter magic?  It would be risky at best.  Any more power might just kill her at this point in time," Giles explained.

"So what _do _we do?" Xander asked.

Giles sighed and turned his attention to Buffy and Dawn, his Slayer still sobbing violently as Dawn cried and rocked with her.  For the second time that day, Giles was left speechless.

------------------------

When the tears finally stopped, Buffy pulled away from Dawn and looked at her Watcher, her best friend and her…she supposed that friend would have to suffice for Anya.  With her eyes still watery with tears, she gave them a shaky smile.

"Hey guys," she whispered.

Xander grinned and rushed to her, pulling her into a hug as he dropped to his knees.  She hugged him back tightly, thankful that she hadn't lost his friendship after everything that had happened.  Xander helped Buffy to her feet and she stood looking incredibly self-conscious.  She looked at Giles who was standing only two feet away.

"So, uh…is it a bit late to say 'welcome home' Giles?" Buffy asked.

Giles chuckled a little and stepped forward engulfing his Slayer in what would have been a bone-crushing hug, had it not been for Buffy's strength.  She returned the hug, careful not to squeeze too tightly.

"I missed you," Buffy whispered into his chest.

He kissed the top of her head and bent his lips next to her ear.  "I missed you too dear girl."

She smiled and clung to him a little more tightly.  They finally pulled back and Anya looked torn in a decision.  Buffy saw the indecision and stepped towards the vengeance demon cautiously.  Anya hesitated again before eventually giving Buffy a tight hug.  Buffy was a little taken aback by the force of it, but returned the hug anyway.  Anya stepped back and gave a sheepish grin.

They group stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.  Before anyone could jump in with a new topic, there was a soft groan coming from Willow.  The group turned their attention to the redheaded girl who was struggling to bring her hand to her face.  Buffy winced when she saw the bruising that she had caused the girl.  

Xander helped Willow to sit up.  Willow looked around, obviously disoriented.  

"What…" she trailed off and looked around the room, her memories hitting her at full force.  She broke down sobbing, clinging to Xander as the other watched, tears welling in their eyes as well.  They hadn't had time to dwell on their own grief for Tara when they'd found out about the gentle witch's death.  Dawn and Buffy hugged each other, while Giles cleaned his glasses, Anya hovering uncomfortably, able to feel Willow's grief.

Willow suddenly pushed Xander away and stood up.  She looked at Buffy who stared back at her evenly, unsure of what was about to happen.

"You took my magic," Willow accused.

Buffy hadn't been expecting that particular accusation.

"I didn't take it Will," Buffy said quietly, not daring to let her emotions get the better of her.  She didn't trust herself yet, and she knew that Giles had been right earlier, despite her indignant protests.  She didn't know how to control the darkness within her, and she wasn't about to let it come to the fore.  "Not on purpose."

Xander tried to touch Willow's shoulder, but she shoved him backwards, Xander landing heavily on his tailbone.  Willow stalked towards the Slayer who pushed Dawn behind her.  

"You took it!" Willow yelled angrily.

Buffy stepped forward as Willow pulled her fist back, ready to strike out at the Slayer.  Buffy easily caught Willow's fist, but Willow was blind with grief and rage.  She struck again, hitting Buffy's face.  The strike did nothing to physically hurt Buffy, it only enraged the powerful girl.  Buffy forcefully pushed Willow away, sending the redhead flying backwards into the wall.  Dawn rushed to Buffy's side, pulling on Buffy's arm.  Dawn was pushed backwards, though not with force.  

Willow tried to get up, glaring at Buffy.

"You stole it!"

"I didn't take your magic Will!" Buffy yelled, losing control of her temper.  "I didn't want this!  I didn't want any of this!  I didn't want Tara to die, I didn't want you to kill Warren and get all hell-bent on payback.  But she's dead, and you got your revenge.  But it wasn't my fault!"

"She's dead because of you!" Willow yelled, tears streaming down her face. 

Buffy took a step back, the verbal accusation as good as a slap across the face.

"Tara's death had _nothing_ to do with me," Buffy replied, her voice shaking with anger.

"He was trying to kill you and he got her!" Willow cried.  "She shouldn't be dead!"

"You think I wanted Tara to die?" Buffy asked angrily.  "I _never_ wanted any of this!  I never wanted Warren to come after me.  I didn't want to get your magic, I didn't want to fight you and I don't want to be standing here yelling at you either."

Buffy took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.  She looked at her best friend who had tears streaming down her face.

"Wills, I just…god Will, I wish Tara had never died."

Anya's head snapped up and her demon came to the fore.  Buffy felt the change in the air, the sudden demonic presence in the room.  Buffy's eyes widened as she realised exactly what she'd just said.

"Done."


	7. What Matters

CHAPTER SEVEN: WHAT MATTERS

Within the blink of an eye, Buffy found herself sitting on the bench in her backyard hugging Xander fiercely.  Buffy heard footsteps coming up the side of the house and quickly disentangled herself from Xander.  She ran to the fence as Warren came through into the backyard.  His face showed that he hadn't been prepared for the Slayer to meet him halfway.  He fumbled to get his hand into his jacket pocket, and Buffy used his disadvantage and quickly backhanded the angry black-clothed man.

Warren stumbled and she hit him again, making him double over.  She brought her knee up and smashed Warren's head against it, sending Warren into unconsciousness.  Xander ran up behind her, his heart racing.

"How did you know he was there?" Xander asked.

Buffy turned to him, her face pale, her breathing shallow.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

------------------------

After the multiple police questions directed at the Scoobies who answered them as well as they could without mentioning demons and robots, Buffy felt safe in the knowledge that she and the rest of the Gang were free from The Trio.  As the police car drove away, Warren screaming angrily from inside, Buffy smiled to herself and walked inside.

Willow and Tara walked down the steps, dishevelled but looking incredibly sated.  Tears came to Buffy's eyes and she gave both of them tight hugs, thankful that the words that had come as an accident had changed their world for the better.

The Wiccans were obviously confused by the sudden change in the Slayer, but they didn't mind all that much.  She was smiling and crying 'happy tears' as she had told them.  She had greeted Dawn with a hug and had told her that she loved her.  Dawn had been slightly worried by the turn of events, but had been grateful for the attention. She saw a spark of Buffy's old self in the Slayer's eyes.  Dawn knew that whatever had caused it had been big, big enough to give the Slayer a dose of reality, and Dawn was thankful for it.  She only hoped that it continued.

------------------------

Later that afternoon, the Scoobies gathered at the Magic Box.  Buffy smiled as she walked in, grateful to see that the Shop was completely in tact.  The group sat around the table, discussing the Trio's downfall and talking about their plans for the summer that was coming soon.  

Anya forced herself to pull away from the customers for a moment, tapping Buffy's shoulder to get her attention.  Buffy turned, a smile on her face.  She saw the seriousness in Anya's eyes and her smile fell.  She stood and followed Anya into the back room.

"You still remember, right?" Anya asked.

Buffy nodded, a tightness forming in her chest as she remembered the hurt from only hours ago.  She couldn't believe how quickly things have spiralled out of control.  

"Nothing can reverse the wish, right?" Buffy asked, concerned for both Willow and herself.

Anya shook her head.  "Not unless you're planning on destroying my necklace before I grant my next wish."

Buffy shook her head emphatically.  "Not in this lifetime."

"Good.  Cos I didn't particularly like that world either," Anya said.

"It wasn't fun," Buffy agreed.

Anya smiled and gave Buffy another quick hug.  "I'm glad you're alright.  That evil bitchy you wasn't too much fun.  Willow bitchy was terrifying, but…what you would have been capable of…scary."

Buffy nodded, agreeing with Anya completely.  "I know what you mean.  I just…I can't believe that we hadn't thought to make a wish before that.  I didn't even say that on purpose."

"Sometimes the most obvious answers are staring us right in the face.  We're just too blind to see them," Anya said wisely.

Buffy smiled, wondering when Anya had come across this much wisdom.  Anya tilted her head to the side thoughtfully and stared intently at the Slayer.

"What?" Buffy asked, slightly uncomfortable with Anya's gaze.

"You look better," Anya said.

"Better than the evil bitchy me?  I'd kinda hope so," Buffy said with a laugh.

Anya just smiled and shook her head.  "No, I mean better than before.  Better than you've been since you've come back."

Buffy thought about it for a moment and smiled.  She felt considerably better than she used to as well.

"I guess my little stint as the newer model of the evil bitch monster of death, I've kinda put things into perspective," Buffy admitted.  "Seeing Will and Tara again, happy, together…alive.  That's what matters."

The door to the training room opened and Xander poked his head around, surprised to see his ex-fiancée and his best friend deep in conversation.  

"Hey girls," he greeted.  "Ahn, Giles is on the phone.  Wants to know if you got the latest shipment of stuff that he sent."

Anya thanked him and turned back to Buffy.

"You should talk to him," Anya said.

"Who, Xander?  We made up this morning," Buffy replied.

Anya rolled her eyes, surprised at Buffy's obliviousness.  "Not Xander, Giles.  You should talk to him.  If that hug you guys had said anything he misses you as much as you miss him."

Buffy thought about it for a moment before nodding her agreement.  

"Just yell when you're finished talking to him," Buffy said, a smile spreading across her face even as her insides swirled with nervous butterflies.

Anya nodded and walked out, her good deed for the day done.  Buffy followed and sat down with the group, Xander sitting next to her.  He nudged her playfully and was met with a grin.  He couldn't help but smile back, Buffy's happiness contagious.  He'd forgotten what it was like to see the Slayer smile.

"How come you're all happy today?" he asked.

"Cos," Buffy replied, her smile widening.  "It's a new day, my friends are healthy, happy…alive.  Those stupid nerds are locked up where they belong and…and I think I've finally remembered why life is so damn good."

Xander swallowed hard and forced himself not to cry. 

"And why's that Buff?" he asked.

She cast a look at Willow and Tara who were curled up in one chair, Willow in Tara's lap, the girls whispering, kissing and giggling together.  Dawn was in a corner, a book in her lap and a smile on her face while Anya chatted happily on the phone.  "Cos of you guys."

END

Thanks for reading.  I told you it had a cop-out ending, but…at least it's finished!  *grins*  One of the many reasons I've forgotten about my many WIP'S.  Cos I keep starting new stuff.  Hope you enjoyed.  Please review or email, cos I'd really appreciate that!

Toodles.

K.


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